This invention relates to coated abrasive products and is especially concerned with coated abrasive products using two or more different abrasive minerals.
The minerals used in coated abrasive products made in the United States of America conventionally meets American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) standards, which specify that the particle size distribution for each nominal grade falls within numerically defined limits. According to the ANSI standards, any nominal grade is made up of three particle size fractions, viz., a "control" fraction, an "overgrade" fraction containing large particles nominally one fraction coarser than the control fraction, and a "fine" fraction containing small particles finer than the control fraction. Additionally, ANSI standards permit the inclusion of up to 0.5% particles coarser than the overgrade fraction. The percentage of particles falling within each fraction varies from grade to grade; in general, however, about 50-60% are in the control fraction, about 10% in the overgrade fraction and about 30-40% in the fine fraction. When considered as a total, the sum of the three fractions is referred to as "full grade".
As used in the preceding paragraph, the term "grade" refers to a specified combination of abrasive particles as related to the standard mesh screens through which the particles will or will not pass. To illustrate, ANSI Publication B74.18-1977 provides that a coated abrasive product having a nominal Grade 50 mineral coat will contain a control fraction that will pass through a 48.5-mesh (1 Std.) screen but not through a 58.5-mesh (3 Std.) screen, an overgrade fraction that will pass through a 37-mesh (38GG) screen but not a 48.5-mesh (1 Std.) screen, and a fine fraction that will pass through a 58.5-mesh (3 Std.) screen. Additionally, Grade 50 may include up to 0.5% of extra-coarse particles that pass through a 32-mesh (32GG) but not through a 38-mesh (38GG) screen. The term "mesh" refers to the number of openings per lineal inch in the screen. Grading systems employed in foreign countries also utilize screens but vary somewhat as to the exact particle size, the number of screens, and the percentage of particles falling in the several fractions that collectively make up a "full grade". Like the ANSI system, the Japanese grading system employs three fractions; the European grading system effectively includes four fractions, the coarsest three of which correspond roughly to the ANSI overgrade and control fractions. As a point of interest, the various grading systems are all intended to provide complete utilization of all the particles obtained during the process of crushing the originally supplied lumps of raw abrasive mineral.
For any given abrading operation, some types of abrasive mineral are more effective than others. For most metal abrading operations, however, the most widely used mineral has long been fused aluminum oxide, or alumina. In recent years, superior minerals have been developed by the co-fusion of alumina and zirconia; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,181,939, 3,891,408, and 3,893,826. Another recently developed superior mineral, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,827, is a non-fused synthetic alumina-based ceramic containing certain metal oxide and/or spinel additives. Both the co-fused alumina-zironia and the non-fused ceramic products are significantly more expensive than the conventional fused alumina, as, of course, are the coated abrasive products made with such minerals. Other slightly superior--and comparatively expensive--alumina-based minerals may be obtained by specially heat treating or coating conventional fused alumina.
It has been suggested that various types of minerals can be blended in making coated abrasive products; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,205,054. One commercial product embodying this concept incorporates a full-grade blend of conventional fused alumina and the significantly more expensive co-fused alumina:zirconia. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,410,506 and 3,266,878, showing the use of inexpensive "diluent" grain blended with diamond particles of the same grade. U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,702 describes the blending of co-fused alunina:zirconia with flint, garnet, or fused alumina of the same grade, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,314,827 suggests blending non-fused alumina based abrasive grain with conventional fused alumina of the same grade.
Previous workers have made coated abrasive products by a process in which the same type of abrasive grain was applied in two separate layers see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,929, showing the application of the mineral by drop coating the first layer and electrostatically coating the second. Prior to the present invention others have also applied a first mineral coat that is a full grade of one type of mineral (conventional fused alumina) and a second coat that is a full grade of a relatively superior second type of mineral (co-fused alumina:zirconia), achieving an abrading performance substantially equal to a conventional product in which a single coat of full grade superior mineral was applied. In the manufacture of molded fabric-reinforced abrasive grinding wheels, several combinations of abrasive grain have been suggested for use in different layers of the construction. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,616,531 describes the use of different particle size mineral in the various abrasive layers. U.S. Pat. No. 3,867,795 describes the blending of expensive co-fused alumina:zirconia with flint, emery, silicon carbide, fused alumina, etc. in the various layers of relatively thin snagging wheels for use on portable grinders. One suggested construction in the latter patent utilizes conventional fused alumina in one layer with a blend of co-fused alumina:zirconia and a coarser garnet in the work-contacting surface.
Although products of the type described in the preceding paragraphs have managed to reduce the overall cost of the mineral applied in the coated abrasive construction, there has remained a strong desire to utilize the superior mineral more efficiently, so as to maximize the benefits obtained from its use.